Northampton full-back Ben Foden has been retained, although Harlequins’ Mike Brown is favoured to start, as is club colleague and scrum-half Lee Dickson. The others released are Freddie Burns, Tom Johnson, Matt Kvesic, Henry Thomas, Rob Webber and Christian Wade. England name their side on Thursday.

“It is never easy deciding who to select and we have had players pushing hard across the board,” England head coach Stuart Lancaster said.

Much as Parling’s loss is unfortunate, forwards coach Graham Rowntree acknowledged that England’s resources at lock are deep.

“They are the strongest we have had for some time,” Rowntree said. “We have got some tight calls to make in the second row.

"Courtney Lawes has impressed me with his consistency. He is a very athletic man and dependable. He has also developed into a line-out leader at Northampton. He is injury-free these days and playing 80 minutes.”

Rowntree also praised the emergence of the Vunipola brothers, prop Mako and No 8 Billy.

“Mako has matured while we think that Billy is ready,” said Rowntree, who has no doubt that this is a seminal period for this generation.

“It’s production time,” the England forwards coach said on Tuesday. “I would agree it is the end of the beginning, two years out from a World Cup. That is the sort of pressure we are putting on ourselves and on the players.”

Rowntree brushed aside suggestions that England’s scum might be ring-rusty with two of the likely match-day squad members, hooker, Dylan Hartley and prop, Dave Wilson, unable to take part in any live scrummaging until Thursday as they manage their return from ankle and calf injuries respectively.